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I captured this photograph for La Vanguardia Readers' Photos of the church of Santa Maria del Freixe, in Mieres (la Garrotxa), on the night of December 14 to 15, when the Geminid meteor shower took place.
In the snapshot you can see one of the meteors shining just above the bell tower of this small temple protected as a cultural asset of local interest.
Santa Maria del Freixe is located on the northern slope of the Collet de Bastarra, at 630 meters above sea level. It acted as the old rural parish church, which has been known since 977.
The Geminids is a meteor shower that takes place every year between December 7 and 17. In Spain, it reached its maximum splendor from December 13 to 14.
Its radiant, the point in the sky from which meteors appear to emanate, is located in the constellation Gemini, hence its name.
The Geminid shower is one of the most active of the year, with a zenith hourly rate (THZ) that can reach 120 meteors per hour. This means that, under optimal conditions, up to 120 shooting stars can be seen crossing the sky every hour.
